The Session

The Session is a novella mystery with quirky, intellectual humor dispersed throughout the book. It reminds me of the “Who’s on first?” Abbott & Costello skit:

What we’re after here is the truth of the situation. I’ve got it. I’m pleased to hear it. In the palm of my hands. That’s the wrong place for it. On the edge of my seat? In anticipation of…? What? What? What are you waiting for? Who says I’m waiting? You’ve just done. I said no such thing. You are on the edge young man of your seat. But I’m standing.

See what I mean? This unconventional dialogue engages the reader in the conversation, feeling perplexed yet intrigued at the same time. Two detectives by the name of Smith try to solve the murder and theft of a mathematician and his missing bodily organs. While discussing the events that led to the mathematician’s death, both Smiths begin to venture into deep, thought provoking conversations about life and how individuals perceive the reality of their own existence. Their quest for the truth leads them to an insane asylum, which houses the men and women who are part of a cult that may have given the mathematician his fate.

This short text will pull you inside the storyline quickly because you’re trying to understand the complexity of the situation. Toward the end you get the feel of the story, but by that time it’s too late; the book is complete. You begin to ask yourself, “Are there really two people talking or just one? Is Detective Smith the murderer? Or does his monologue simply bring you to the way his brain falls into complex illusions about the existence of life and how we live?”

The book is a must read. It left me wanting more, and definitely kept me engaged. The reader will feel as if she or he is lurking behind the walls, listening to the Smiths’ long-winded, intellectual yet funny conversations about who killed the mathematician.

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